Linger
by Serena Lee
Summary: Niki has always loved Voltage Ootome games, but when a Linger button appears in one of the games, she finds her self in Voltage amid the men she'd read so much about. Her only problem, the way home involves falling in love with one of the men. With all the stories she's read it will take a special man to win her over, or she'll be stuck in Voltage. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

Linger

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Voltage, Inc. characters, nor do I claim to. I do, however, love the stories. _

One

_**MY**_ eyelids drooped heavily and I placed my free hand over my mouth to stifle a yawn. The other hand clutched a tablet, the battery icon flashing. Outside the stars glittered brightly, but my eyes were blurry from reading the screen. I'd just finished reading from _Kissed by the Baddest Bidder_, a new favorite of mine. I couldn't get over the Ootome games. They grabbed me, reeled me in until the clock read past midnight and I found myself barely able to function the next day.

With another yawn, I fell back onto my pillows. The room was silent except for the tick of the clock on the night stand. The tablet beeped again, reminding me that it needed to be plugged in. I groaned, not wanting to get out of the warm bed to walk over to the desk. Instead, I slid into the sheets, closed my eyes, gripped the tablet close and let out a sigh.

What I didn't know was that I'd pushed a button that had suddenly appeared in the app.

It read _Linger_.

#

"Is she awake?" A voice asked, sounding concerned.

My eyelids were still closed from sleep and I didn't want to open them. It had been some time since I'd had a dream so real I could actually hear the voices.

"Who cares? We should leave her and get some pork noodles. Where's beardy?" Another voiced his opinion. I realized that both voices had been male.

"We can't just leave her. She's a _Lingerer_. It's our job to take care of her," a third said.

My eyelids fluttered.

"That's your opinion. I don't care what happens to her or who she sleeps with," the second snapped.

I shot straight up and looked around.

The faces were familiar. I'd seen them, though I couldn't place where. There were eight of them in a circle around me. I lay on a tuft of grass in the middle of what appeared to be a park. Above me the sky was a pale blue completely devoid of clouds. I suddenly realized I sat in a patch of semi wet grass, in my pajamas, while several men looked down at me. Embarrassed didn't even begin to describe how I felt.

"Hello," the first voice greeted. His tone was soft as if he were talking to a baby animal.

I recognized him from the longer black hair and the milky chocolate colored eyes. He wore a black suit and a red tie.

"S-Satsuki?" I gasped in surprise.

He gave me a kind smile and a nod. "Yes. Satsuki Kitaoji. You recognize me?"

I nodded, glancing at all the faces around me.

"What about me?" The voice was younger, a teenager at least. His hair had two tones, a golden blond on one side and dark brown on the other. His dark eyes almost glittered as he waited for my reply.

"Kanji?" My voice had taken on a somewhat frantic tone.

He laughed. "Hot damn! Yup. Kanji Okumiya!"

Satsuki held out a hand, offering to help me up. Reluctantly, I took it, unsure what was happening. The men around me backed away, giving me space to stand. I staggered around a bit, confused. The park seemed to be the center of the town. Each section had been broken up by different colored and shaped buildings.

"Where am I?" I whispered in wonder.

"This is Voltage, Inc. We all live here," Satsuki replied. He maintained the look of kindness as he watched me.

"You're joking, right?" I mumbled, pinching my arm. It hurt like hell.

"Nope. Where do you think the game characters go once you're done playing?" Another voice asked.

I turned to see Haruki Tenamura with his dark hair and nearly gray eyes smiling back at me.

"H-Haruki?" I couldn't take it all in. I fell back on my butt in surprise.

"Are you alright?" He hid a smile as he helped me back up again.

"Why are you wasting your time on her? Just tell her what she needs to know and let's move on," the second original voice spoke up.

I turned to see Takuto Hirukawa with his sandy blond hair and hands in his pockets. He looked away as my eyes met his. "what do you mean?"

Satsuki gulped. "Well, you're here because you pressed the Linger button."

"No, I didn't. I read Saryu Oh's story and then fell asleep." I shook my head, platinum blond hair whipping my face.

"Look at your arm," Haruki prodded.

I lifted both my forearms and looked them over. The right was completely normal, skin, freckles, hair. The left had a brand like mark on my wrist that read 'Lingerer' in bold, black letters. A black box outlined the words.

"What is this?"

"Don't touch it. If you do, it will send you home," Kanji shouted, grabbing my arm.

"It won't send her home unless she's ready to go home," Satstuki said. "It is your way home though."

"What do you mean unless I'm ready?" I questioned, looking up to meet his eyes. The pictures didn't show just how tall he actually was.

"You've been sent here for a reason. Most come to find the character they've fallen in love with," he explained.

"Then what happens?"

"You sleep with them and go home. Can we go eat now?" Takuto interrupted.

I frowned. "I'm not sleeping with anyone."

"They don't actually sleep with us," Satsuki soothed, shooting Takuto a dark look. "Go eat, Takuto. You don't need to be here."

"Hmph," he grumbled.

"Most of the time they spend the day with us, get a kiss or two, then return to where they came before they even know what's happened," Haruki finished.

I gulped. "How can they be okay with that? How can you? They're using you and they don't even know you?" I found myself talking mostly to myself even though the guys were listening to me.

Satsuki smiled. "You're the first to ask that."

I looked up in surprise. "So what happens now?"

"You choose," Takuto snapped. "Hurry up. We don't want to be here all day."

I looked at the faces around me. I'd fallen in love with each one of them as I'd read their stories, at one point or another. I didn't want to chose. "I'm sorry. I can't.

"Great," he groaned, kicking a rock with his shoe. "She's one of those."

"What do you mean? We've never had a Lingerer question being here," Kanji told him, eyes narrowed. "What happens if she won't choose?"

Satsuki bit his lip, shaking his head. "I don't know. We've never had this happen."

"Can't I just go home?" I wondered, looking at the marking on my wrist.

The faces around me fell.

"No. Not until the marks on your wrist turn white," Haruki said. "I guess we should find you some clothes and a place to stay."

"She can stay with one of us," Takuto suggested. "Then she can do her job and get lost."

"Why are you so eager to get rid of her? You don't even know her." Haruki frowned.

Takuto shrugged looking away. "They're all the same. They use us and disappear."

"It wasn't my choice!" I shouted, throwing my hands into the air. "I didn't press any button. I fell asleep holding the tablet."

"Alright, enough. We'll find Seiko. She'll have somewhere for you to stay for a couple of days at least," Satsuki suggested.

"Seiko? Hiro's sister?" I gasped.

Satsuki gave me another kind smile and a nod. "Yes. She runs a hotel for Lingerer's in the Thief X district."

"What?"

"The town has been broken up into districts based on the different Voltage games. All of the characters are here too, so you aren't the only woman in town," Haruki explained.

That fact made me feel better.

"It all looks the same right now, but you'll be able to notice subtle differences after a while," Satsuki added. "Come on. Seiko can help you with clothes and other supplies you'll need."

"Oh, but I don't have any money," I added as a second thought.

Satsuki chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll take care of you."

"But..."

He shook his head and I found I couldn't really say anymore. I needed his help. As it was, I walked, flanked by hot guys, dressed in gym shorts and a tank top without a bra. Just that thought alone made me uncomfortable.

"Well, well." A man, dressed in a light gray suit and matching tie. "What did you find?"

"Hello, Soryu," Haruki greeted.

Soryu gave him a slight nod.

"This is, um, I'm sorry. I didn't ask for your name." Satsuki turned towards me.

"Oh. Right. Niki. My name is Niki," I replied, a nervous flutter in my stomach. I'd just read Soryu Oh's story the night before. Never, in my wildest dreams, did I imagine I'd see him right in front of me.

"This is Niki, a Lingerer," Satsuki explained.

Soryu gave me a skeptical look. "Another?"

"It's been over five years," Haruki sighed.

"What are you really here for?" Soryu asked, looking me over from head to toe. "You here to steal our money?"

"I'm not a thief," I snapped.

"There is nothing wrong with being a thief," Takuto retorted, though I hadn't been talking to him.

"I never said there was," I whispered, avoiding Soryu's steady gaze.

"You're all the same. Pathetic. I'll be watching you," he warned.

I didn't answer.

Satsuki placed a hand on my lower back, guiding me past Soryu, who had pulled out a pistol, and down the sidewalk to a large hotel. It reminded me of the Casino Hotel from _Seduced in the Sleepless City_. He held open the door, ushering me inside.

"My goodness. What brings all of you here?" Seiko, in her bright copper hair appeared from a back room. She bounced as she walked, dressed fashionably. Her movement halted when she spotted me.

"Hello," I greeted nervously.

"This is Niki." Satsuki gently pushed my forward.

"A Lingerer," she guessed, her brows narrowed. "Why did you bring her here? None of them need rooms."

"She does," Haruki explained.

"For now." Takuto snorted.

Seiko frowned. "Alright, everyone but Satsuki and Haruki get out."

"What? I didn't do anything!" Kanji whined.

Seiko placed her hands on her hips.

"Alright, alright. See you later, Niki." He waved along with the others as the left the hotel lobby.

"What's going on? Why does she need a room? Isn't she going to spend the day with one of you and then drift off into bliss?" Seiko asked, her mouth still pulled down in a frown.

I couldn't help sighing. "I don't want to sleep with any of them!"

Seiko's brows shot up, her eyes wide as saucers.

"That was harsh." Haruki chuckled.

My face grew warm, the heat rising from my neck to the tips of my ears. "Sorry. I just don't know any of you. It seems-wrong."

"You're different," Seiko commented, eyeing me with a hand on her chin.

"Yes. She is. I was hoping that you'd be willing to help her out," Satsuki pleaded, his eyes like a puppy dogs as he pouted. "She needs clothes, an apartment, or a room and other necessities that a girl may need."

"I suppose she would. What do you want me to do? "She sighed heavily.

"Help her. I'll pay for whatever she needs and her room and board, but she can't keep walking around dressed like this." He waved a hand over me.

"Besides, Soryu and Takuto aren't terribly happy with her being her. It's best that she has somewhere to stay while she's here, somewhere away from everyone," Haruki added.

"What's wrong with them? It's not her fault," Seiko commented. She moved to a counter on the far side of the room.

"You weren't terribly happy with me being here either," I muttered under my breath.

Seiko glanced up from her computer. "I didn't say that."

"You didn't need to." I frowned.

She sighed. "It's not that I don't like Lingerer's. Okay. I don't like Lingerer's, but you're different. You actually care about us."

"Oh, but I..." I started, not really sure I could accept her compliment. It was hard to treat them like characters when they stood, flesh and blood, in front of me.

"Accept it. She's right. Normally the Lingerer's won't give the rest of us the time of day. Just the one they're here for," Haruki whispered in my ear.

"Well, I have a free room, but it's small. There is a kitchen, bathroom, but it's mostly a bedroom. I'm sorry I don't have anything more. Most of the rooms have been taken by different girls in the games." Seiko shrugged.

"It is a small hotel. Maybe she could stay at my hotel and casino in the Seduced district," Satsuki suggested.

Seiko looked hurt. "No. This is where she belongs. All the Lingerer's are supposed to stop here when they stay. It keeps things fair."

"Fair?" I asked, my brows rising.

"We'll leave her in your capable hands." Satsuki flashed me another bright smile before turning and heading out with Haruki in tow.

She nodded. "It's neutral territory. You don't spend extra time with any of the guys. That was the original point of the Lingerer. They came, fell in love, and then left after finding whatever it was they were missing. The Lingerer's lost sight of that."

"I don't see how they could lose sight of it if they didn't know it in the first place. I still don't know why I'm here," I grumped with a frown.

"That's how it was supposed to be, originally. Not coming for the guy you thought you wanted," she explained. "But finding the guy you needed."

"I don't see how that's possible. I've already read their stories. I know them," I whispered.

Seiko chuckled. "You think you know them. What you've read isn't all of them. Just a small portion. There is still so much to learn."

"Then how can I possibly choose?" I wondered.

"I don't know. What I can help you with is choosing clothes and furniture. Satsuki gave me his credit card, so lets go crazy!" Seiko started out the door.

"Seiko, wait! I don't think that's what Satsuki meant!" I shouted, chasing after her.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey everyone! Sorry it has taken so long and this chapter is kind of short. My novel was released on amazon this week and I've been busy with that. I promise to write more in the next chapter!_

Two

_**The**_ apartment was small. The front door opened into a tiny living area furnished with a couch and coffee table. Across from the living area was a kitchen and a four person dining table. Across from the kitchen I could see a bed, closet and a door that opened into a bathroom. It was different from the room I'd left behind. Smaller than any apartment I'd stayed in, but similar to a hotel room. I just hoped I wouldn't have to live there for long.

"Well? What do you think?" Seiko asked, dropping bags of clothes and bedding onto the new looking mattress.

"It's nice," I said, flopping onto the couch.

"Don't lie. It's small, it's close, but it's a place to stay," Seiko admitted with a kind smile.

"How can I pay for all of this?" I gasped.

"You don't need to. Satsuki said he'd take care of everything. He usually does. Satsuki is probably the kindest," Seiko said.

I frowned. "I don't want to do that. Are there any jobs around here?"

Seiko sighed. "Are you serious?"

I nodded.

She got off the edge of the bed and started for the door. "Follow me. I might have something you can do. Can you cook?"

"Yes. My mom taught me," I answered, pulling the door closed behind me.

"There is a small restaurant here in the hotel. It's been abandoned for a while, but it's ready for someone to use at any time," she pushed a button calling for the elevator.

"You want me to run a restaurant?" I asked, brows cocked in surprise.

She nodded, carrot colored hair twirling around her shoulders. "Of course! Authentic American food? Mmm."

"What do you have here?"

"Mostly Japanese," she replied.

"Huh. Well, I could try. I guess," I told her. The elevator door opened on the bottom floor and she led me across the lobby to a small restaurant. The doors had been chained and locked. Seiko pulled out a key and pulled the chains off the door. It opened with a creak, dust flying off the glass. "It needs some cleaning."

"And some inventory, but the hotel will pay for that. Just make a list and I'll find whatever you need," she turned around a left me looking into a dark dining room.

#

I coughed running a wet rag over the bar counter and the tables spread throughout the dining room. The room was full of webs and dust bunnies rolled across the floor. It had taken what felt like forever to clear the room of dust. The kitchen remained fairly cleaned, someone using it every so often to provide food for the lingerers or anyone else at the hotel who grew hungry.

"Niki?" The voice was familiar.

"Satsuki?" I stood up from behind a counter and looked to the swinging kitchen door. His large frame took up most of the doorway.

"What are you doing?" He wondered, running a hand over the recently cleaned counter top.

"Um, cleaning?" My face scrunched up.

"Why?" He asked, watching me move around the kitchen.

"I'm going to run a restaurant. For a while, anyway."

"What for?" His brows narrowed. "If you don't mind my asking."

"I want a way to earn money for myself. I want to pay you back, though I don't know that I ever will be able to. Seiko spent a lot of money," I replied, talking mostly to myself.

"That isn't necessary, you know?" Satsuki asked. He looked troubled.

"I know, but I don't know how long I'm going to be here. I want something to do," I said. "I want to be useful."

Satsuki shook his head with a smile. "Alright, if that's what you'd like."

"What are you here for? I thought you had work to do."

"Do you not want me to be here?" He asked, his brows raising to his hairline.

"No, that's not what I meant."

"I know." He gave a light chuckle. "I actually came over to invite you out to dinner. Would you like to come with me?"

"Of course. Oh," I paused in thought. "I don't have a dress to wear. I mean, we bought a dress, but I didn't get one fancy enough for your hotel."

"What makes you think you don't have a dress fancy enough for me?" He wondered.

"I've read your story," I whispered.

"Then you know I don't care for those types of things. I want you the way that you are," Satsuki replied.

"I-I know, but you also have a reputation." Where was all this coming from? Was this place like the stories that I'd read? Will people judge me with Satsuki if I wasn't good enough for him? Would they judge him? I couldn't believe I was saying these things to him. I knew his story, but I didn't know him.

"I have a dress for you," Satsuki whispered. "I wanted to buy one for you. It's in your room. I'll pick you up in an hour."

"Thank you, Satsuki."


End file.
